Where to go in case of extreme emergency or disaster at Benitatxell

This week, two talks were held to guide residents on how to act and where to go in case of an emergency.

In the event of any emergency or disaster, a municipality’s best defence is its response ability, both at an institutional and citizen level. The Council of El Poble Nou de Benitatxell, through the Councillorship of Citizens’ Security, has been working for some time on the development of various emergency plans, but, as the councillor responsible for the area, María José Ivars, has pointed out, ‘if citizens do not know the protocols and how to act, these plans are useless’.

That is why, after the experience of the blackout last April, the councillorship of Security, Civil Protection and the Local Police decided to divide the municipality into sectors and organise talks and informative brochures to ensure greater preparation in the event of a disaster or extreme situation.

This week, two talks were held to give people some guidance on what to do and where to go in an emergency. The first one, for Spanish speakers, was held last Tuesday afternoon at the Social Centre, while the second one was held this Friday morning at El Puig building (Cumbre del Sol) in English to reach the international community, which is quite large in the local urbanisations and suburbs of the town.

These information sessions explained all the processes involved in an emergency, from the importance of prevention to what to do during and after an emergency. Among other issues, the importance of always following the instructions of the emergency services and staying informed through the Council’s official channels was highlighted.

The five meeting points to go to in the event of an extreme emergency

However, without a doubt, the most significant advance in terms of greater prevention in the event of future emergencies is the division of the municipal area into five points. As explained by the head of Civil Protection, Arturo Esteve, and police officer José Luís Esteve, if a disaster were to occur, there would be a lack of communication in the event of a serious incident and if urgent help or information were needed, people should go to a specific point depending on the area where they live. These are the meeting points that have been determined:

• Sector 1 (Los Molinos, La Pinada, Las Viñas, Castellons, Racó de Nadal, Les Fonts y Diseminados Polígono 1, Polígono 2 and Polígono 8): they must go to the Entrance of Los Molinos or Les Fonts.
• Sector 2 (Town Centre, Calistros, Mimosas, Olivos, Romeros and Diseminados Polígono 3, Polígono 4 y Polígono 7): they must go to the Parking lot on Valencia avenue.
• Sector 3 (La Joya, La Joya – Tossals, Terra Moriara Fase 1 and 2, Vista Montaña III, Pueblo Alcassar Fase 1 and 2, Golden Valley, Valle Del Portet, Vista Ifach, Villa Paradise, Los Alcázares, Villotel, Madroñal and Diseminado Polígono 6): they must go to the Parking lot of Shoping Centre al Aire, next to Mercadona.
• Sector 4 (North Access Cumbre del Sol: Iris, Begonias, Adelfas, Dalias, Encinas, Camelias, Pueblo de la Paz, Pueblo de la Luz, Fresnos, Atalaya, Pueblo Atenea, Pueblo Panorama, Jazmines y Diseminado Polígono 5): they must go to the to El Puig Builfing (Civil Protection Headquarters).
• Sector 5 (South Access Cumbre del Sol: Lirios, Olivos Fase 1 and 2, Magnolias, Palmeras, Pueblo Montecala and Kalmias): they must go to the Lirios Shopping Centre.

Informative material has been prepared for these sessions and leaflets have been distributed so that residents have a handbook to help them if they need it. In addition to this initiative, the Councillor Security has improved its protocols and action plans in recent months with the approval of the Municipal Territorial Emergency Plan, the Municipal Action Plan for Earthquake Risk, the Municipal Action Plan for Forest Fire Risk and the Moraig Cove Evacuation Plan about to approve.

Emergency procedures for three types of emergency: 

• Municipal Action Plan for Earthquake Risk 
• Municipal Territorial Emergency Plan 
• Municipal Action Plan for Forest Fire Risk 

Fifteen walkie-talkies and two generators have also been recently purchased, which are very important resources for communication between the security and emergency services and CECOPAL for coordination purposes, as well as to guarantee electricity and communications at strategic municipal points such as the police station, the Civil Protection headquarters and the town hall servers.

The event held at Cumbre del Sol was very well received by the 60 residents who attended the meeting.

Source: Town Hall